Wharfedale Mens Shed

30/10/2026

Wharfedale Men’s Shed’s d(i)ynamic duo, Stuart and Bob M, went back to school during half term week.

WMS continued their support for Westgate Primary School in their drive to make the Victorian school ‘greener’. The task this time was to excavate a trench in the tarmac yard to allow Wildlife Friendly Otley to plant a hedge line.
Cutting into the tarmac to create the trench was the relatively easy, if somewhat dusty task. The underlying large pieces of hardcore were the real backbreakers but Bob & Stuart persevered, helped by the forecast of rain mainly staying away along with the support of some very cheerful ladies associated with the school along with Chris Short, the head and real driving force behind this great initiative.
4 hours hard graft saw the task completed with Bob & Stuart home bound for a well earned soak in a warm bath.

10/10/2026

We were proud to be invited to attend the inaugural Pool Green Fayre, held at Pool Village Hall today, Saturday 10th October. Neil and Peter, who are also committee members staffed the table for the day.

There was plenty of interest in our wares, all of which were made by WMS members, mainly from recycled materials and happily we made a number of sales in aid of our registered charity.

Neil and Peter enjoyed the day and left feeling that they had made some friends, contacts, and possible new shed members and also left with some commissions.

Our thanks to Moira for our invitation to this friendly and well organised event and we hope to return next year.

02/10/2026

When Wildlife Friendly Otley asked for help with their project to create wildlife corridors through the town, we were happy to roll up our sleeves. The brief was a bin store topped with a “green roof”, giving pollinator-friendly plants a home in one of the unlikeliest spots imaginable.

The finished units are now installed and doing double duty, keeping the bins tidy below while feeding bees, butterflies and other pollinators above. Take a stroll along the back streets of Hamilton Terrace and Ramsey Terrace to see them for yourself.

It’s a great example of what community groups can achieve together, and proof that even a bin store can do its bit for nature. If your group has a project that could use a practical pair of hands, get in touch.

26/09/2026

Stuart telling the audience all about the great things that we do at the Shed and receiving a cheque for £100 from the Otley Coffee Culture festival earlier this year.

22/09/2026

This year the Heritage Day theme in Otley was heritage and tradition, and the Courthouse hosted an open day where the life and activities of the local police force over the last 170 years were centre stage.
WMS were asked if we wanted to participate but with few ideas coming forward of what we could make to align with this theme (apart from the obvious set of stocks), it was scratch head time.
Then we remembered that we had made a ‘photo board’ - think seaside and having your head through a hole in a painted picture - for a previous event.
Recovered from storage and with a new board planted over the old, WMS members set to work to produce a picture of Dennis the Menace being arrested by Mr Plod.
The board attracted much attention from all ages and brought a smile to most faces.
Additionally, one of our members was a serving policeman for over 30 years and had at one time actually worked out of the court buildings in Otley. He was thus the obvious choice when the Courthouse wanted someone to take fingerprints, before ‘the suspect’ was marched off to the cells(which are still in the same condition they were when in full time use).
WMS once again had a great day supporting a local event and we may bring out the photoboard again in the future where a new theme seems appropriate

04/09/2026

Thank you to all our lovely followers, as part of our fundraising efforts for our new, bigger venue we’re trying to increase our reach so please tell your friends about us. Also, if you have any contacts in fundraising groups we’d love to hear from you.
Links to the donation page can be found on our website. Any amount very gratefully received

Wharfedale Men’s Shed: A welcoming community where men connect, learn, and create. From crafting projects to supporting local causes, we inspire camaraderie, skill-sharing, and well-being in Otley and beyond.

25/08/2026

WMS continuing support for Westgate School.
Stuart, Bob E and Bob M attended school for three days replacing some large planters for the school, part of the headmaster Chris’s drive to make the outside area more green for the children. Work commenced on a very hot summer day which continued over the three days taken to complete the project. Previously installed planters had collapsed leaving a somewhat messy area as shown in the pictures below:

07/08/2026

We report a lot of Shed based activity on our website (www.wharfedalemensshed.org.uk) but we still have an active walking group who walk the wonderful Yorkshire Dales nearly every Friday come hail or shine. Today, Bob E, Stuart, Bob M and a more recent recruit to the Men's Shed and the walking group, Tony, undertook a circular walk, setting out from Airton along Hellifield Road then along farm tracks and across fields towards Bell Busk and upwards to Haw Crag Trig point. A quick stop to take a selfie before descending Eshton Moor, crossing the path of the Pennine Way and then along by the River Aire, stopping for a pastie for lunch, before returning to Airton - a little short of 6 miles. A really lovely walk through glorious countryside and blessed by sunny weather with a cooling breeze.

08/11/2025

Thursday morning (6th November) saw three WMS members Stuart, Bob E and Bob M out for one of our regular walks, this one to Beamsley Beacon. The weather was dry but misty so not much scenery to be seen. We did though manage to take photographs up at the top and spent some time reminiscing about a previous walk in September 2022 to the same location with our dear friend Dave Scannell. Our time with Dave was sadly cut far too short as previously reported but he will always live on in our memories.

24/06/2025

I have to admit that it’s a while since posting updates on the Shed’s activities as our website is kept very well up to date with all of our varied activities.

However our latest initiative cannot go by without a mention!! Thanks to our treasurer Robert, a walking rugby team has been set up.

We are delighted to have received support from the Leeds Together Grant Fund, to purchase sports equipment for our Men’s Walking Rugby team and in particular we would like to thank Otley Action for Older People for approving us for funding.

Walking Rugby is a non-aggressive, non-contact form of the game suitable for reasonably active older people.

Our team is a mixture of retired men who have played rugby in their youth, but also those with no previous knowledge or involvement in the game. Whatever the motivation for taking part, we are a social team which prioritises friendship and fun above overly serious competition.

If you are interested in joining in, we meet at 12:30pm at Garnett’s Field, Otley every Monday (weather permitting).

For information on all of our activities please access our website: wharfedalemensshed.org.uk